It’s not a bad thing, as a matter of fact, it IS a good thing. Seriously, you don’t want to stuck here forever, you need to spread your market more than your peer and get recognized by the world. Banyak part “manis” di lagu ini, tapi dua hal yang sangat gue suka adalah suara dari keyboard dan gitarnya. This song is the prime example what they meant when they say the word: “cozy”.

Depapepe is never my cup of tea. I guess that’s pretty clear why I can’t talk much about Sparkle Days – Momiji ini. It’s a well-made song, that’s one thing for sure. But it’s passable for me.

No, not because it’s bad or anything. It’s a matter of a personal taste. I still say that if you love Depapepe kind of music, you’d love this song.

…and here come the weird part. HaChi ini beneran band jejepangan? Mungkin gue kurang gaul atau gimana ya sampe nggak tahu, cuma gue bener-bener vaguely can recall any Japanese influence or reference in this song. It’s not bad, it just feel misplaced =/. I’d give the benefit of objectivity; the song is o-kay… and just okay. It has the one hit wonder material for last year’s Indonesian pop scene, and it surely serve its purpose as a pop song, but like I said… misplaced.

Uh yeah, and the song is galau tudemeks. Serve the purpose of the band’s name, dare I say–

The next song is… [BOX] – Seize. again with cup of tea, this song definitely is not something for my heart. Subjectively speaking, It’s because I always crave for a badass male vocalist. No unique technique, no complication, just plain in-your-face balls-to-the-walls rock.

Well yeah, we have Amakusa for that. but seriously, only one? Grow some balls, men!

But hey, this section isn’t about Amakusa. Let’s focus on the band, Seize. In a very objective way, it’s a beyond decent rock song. Sure, it still have a lot of flaws here and there, but I can see the problem is probably, probably, probably, they don’t have a good producer just yet. Or a good soundman, sayang lagunya lho.

I want to see them live, I bet they kick more ass on the stage. Seriously, this is one of those band that sounds MUCH better on stage; something like Andra and the Backbone.

What’s with the statement? It’s simply because I can’t love this track. Yes, it’s a good metal track with definitely decent arrangement and great solid sound. Tapi Cia yang disebut beberapa orang sebagai “Kyo nya Indonesia” gagal memuaskan gue (not in THAT way, mind you). No, not because he’s bad, it’s completely the other way around. It’s because he’s so good on being Kyo, he’s miss the part where he’s supposed to be Cia.

And why I’m focusing on one person only? Because it’s crystal-clear that he is the band. Like Axl Rose, Yoshiki, or Ahmad Dhani, the band run with one man steering the wheel. While it’s a good thing because it will keep the consistency of the music, but once that person trip the whole band will fall apart.

Oh, Blodwen. I was a fan of Le Sacralist and also a fan of Private Joker. How can I NOT love this band? They put up a pretty heavy shit tho’, definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but there will be no argument that this is a good song.

But yeah… limited market. It’s gonna be a bumpy road in a long run, but hey. They’ve run long enough to know how bumpy the road is. I’d love to hear a song with more single-material tho’, something more radio-friendly. I hate to repeat myself, but this is a pretty heavy material, lagu-lagu lain jadi kebanting.

Tokyolite definitely is the next big thing that’s still have a lot of space to improve, yet already have solid ground to stand. Masih terasa kegugupan di vokalisnya sih, cuma itu bukan masalah yang segitu berasanya, it will gone by the time goes by.

But one thing:

Get. A. Freaking. Soundman.

I love the song enough to listen to ever detail of the audio that’s not a release-material yet. Serius deh, mixingannya masih mentah banget, menutupi banyak bagian yang harusnya bisa jadi keren. It’s a pity that a great song ended up sounds not as good as it should be. I’ll be waiting for more material, seriously.

…okay, second wtf moment. I’ve prepared myself for a heavy rock stuff, since the band’s name is Volcanoes. This is like Greenland which in reality is covered by ice, or Iceland which in reality is pretty green. I mean, try to advertise yourself like HaChi. You’d expect the galauness from the beginning, knowing the band’s name is similar to the saddest bee alive.

(Yes, I just have to use this joke)

But I digress. The fact that I’m not into the genre (and the false expectation) kinda push me aside from reviewing this track. Just for the sake of objectivity.

Lagu Yumeyang ada di album ini juga lagu lama dengan vokalis baru, CMIIW. It’s a pop song, to say the least. It is what it is, shows us every good cliche of a pop song as well as the decent execution. It’s like hearing Vierra with a much better vocalist. And it’s not a bad thing, I love Vierra. Yes, the song is a bit generic, but it actually know its place and not pretending it’s bigger than it actually is.

And that’s actually make it sounds a bit better. It’s pop, but it’s an honest pop and I appreciate it.

Oh, and the sound quality is good on this track. Very well-executed and marketable. Now get out and get serious on the music!

Wyvern is good. Really good. The arrangement is solid and the flow of the song is great. Plus, the vocal is way above the standard. But sadly, there is still a downside… on mixing.

Again.

I think I have the conclusion that some of the band only have musician and manager on their team. No, it’s not enough. It’s never enough. You need someone who knows and understand the music producing on your team to keep the quality good AND consistent.

Okay, Purei. Where do I start… this song only have one flaw. Only one, but it’s extremely fatal. This song isn’t a single material, it’s a filler material. This is the 7th or 8th song in your own album, not a compilation. You’d want an anthemic catchy tune on this kind of album to catch the audience’s attention. Yes, Blodwen also didn’t put a “single-material”, but they song was way more powerful and iconic. It’s a marketing gimmick, not something a band should be aware of, but since most of us are self-managed, I think it’s just make sense if you’d want to learn a thing or two about this matter.

Ohai, J-RocksForu. Well, despite of all my hatred toward J-Rocks, I think I’ll give this song a chance.

When they become Peter and deny the connection between them and L’arc, I was pretty cool with that. But then I took a meme on my knee.

(Oh yeah, if you want to deny something, at least be consistent about it.)

But Foru actually did a pretty good job ending this compilation. Simple anthemic song is definitely how you want to end an album. And hey, at least they admit from the beginning that J-Rocks inspire them… aren’t they?

I’m not a good judge, or so they say. I’m foul-mouthed and highly subjective. In case you didn’t realize it, I have the link to the songs up there, go listen and prove me wrong (or right) :D.